How to select a Plot or Apartment?

• Check the ground water source and type of soil
• Do not buy a property very near to Sewage canal, Burial ground, Wine shops, Drainages.
• Check the property whether it is under Road, Railways or Airport expansion projects.
• Also do not buy a property which has high tension towers.
• Do not buy a property under litigation, mortgage or any other legal disputes.
• Buy a property near to schools, college’s, shopping malls, hospitals, banks, temple, bus stand, railway station or any government office’s.
• Check whether the layout has been approved by CMDA /DTCP.
• Check the U.D.S and car parking facility carefully before buying the apartment. This should reflect in the documents also.
• Do not buy a flat which is more than 20 yrs old as banks don’t approve loans.

Buyer has to check whether the land is nanjai (wet land) or punjai (dry land). The difference between the two depends on whether they are connected by an irrigation channel or not. Wet lands or Nanjai lands are meant to be specifically conserved for agriculture. The Nanjai land can be used for constructing buildings, residential layout etc by obtaining a No objection certificate (NOC) from the tahsildar or collector's office. A final decision on reclassification would be taken by DTCP and CMDA for the approval. A dry land (Punjai) is best for any layouts or township projects after getting appropriate approvals.

An 'A' register is a government record of the land held at the VAO's office (Village Administrative Officer) that contains all the survey numbers and its subdivisions with the classification of the land and its extent in acres or hectares, and details of the property such as its classification, tax assessment, owner's name etc. It is mandatory to check the A-Register (available in V.A.O. Office) before buying any property. Some of the pertinent details are

Classification - Specifies if the land is a nanjai, punjai or a manavari. This essentially says if the land is a wet or dry land and how it can be irrigated through canals (nanjai) or rain (punjai).

Area specifics - Specifies the area of the land in hectares.

Owner information - This describes the property owner's name and it should match the name on the sale deed. It also describes whether the property is owned by the government (e.g. road, acquired land etc.) or not.

• Sale Deed: Check if the sale deed is in the name of the seller and he has the full right to sell it. Insist upon looking at the original and not just a photocopy.
• Patta, Chitta adangal and all Parent Documents.
• Encumbrance Certificate: This document can be procured from the sub-registrar's office where the deed is registered.
• Plan & Layout: Check whether the layout has been approved by CMDA / DTCP and sanctioned by local bodies.
• Property tax receipts & bills: This is to ensure whether any tax dues are pending on the land.
• Release Certificate: Many property owners take bank loan by pledging their property. Ensure that entire amount has been paid before buying the property. Bank will issue a “Release certificate” if there is no pending.
• FMB Sketch: It is mandatory to measure the land before buying any property and this sketch is a scale drawing of the survey numbers involved.
• NRI Owner (Optional): An NRI can sell his property in India only when he gives Power of Attorney to a person for selling the property on behalf of him. The most important thing is to ensure the Power of Attorney is witnessed and is duly signed by an officer of the Indian Embassy. The Power of Attorney signed by a notary public has no legal support.
• Power of attorney: If the property is sold by power agent ,ensure that owner who gives power is alive at the time of registration. Also the power should not have been revoked at the time of registration.
• Guideline Value: This is the value fixed by government for that particular locality and buyer has to register his property by paying the stamp duty. It can be checked in the sub registrar office or www.tnreginet.net/guideline value.asp

• Check all legal documents with a lawyer before buying any property.
• Patta is issued only for lands and not for individual apartments.
• Always check the A-Register available in VAO office before buying any property.
• All details furnished here are related to Tamilnadu only and are subjected to change based on government norms.
• All the information given above is only advisory and not liable for any legal commitment.